1. Field
The invention is in the field of heating devices.
2. State of the Art
Most devices currently in use for generating heat burn a fuel to generate the heat or use electricity flowing through a resistance to generate heat. It is also known that hydrogen molecules can be disassociated into hydrogen atoms and then recombined into hydrogen gas molecules with the resultant release of large amounts of heat energy. This principal is used in an "atomic-hydrogen" torch where the hydrogen molecules are passed through an electric arc to disassociate them into hydrogen atoms and the hydrogen atoms then recombine against the surface to be heated where temperatures in excess of 4000.degree. C. can be obtained.
It is known that many lasers can generate high power laser light beams with relatively small power input, but lasers have not been used as heat sources.